3 pit bulls shot after reported incident in Cleves

Last week, three pit bulls were shot by authorities after an
incident on Jordan Road in Cleves, Ohio. One was killed and the other two were injured after a call from
neighbors to officers.

In statements to police, those residents say they're scared
to walk outside, and one said the dogs have "charged at me and my family" several times.

"The initial call came from
a neighbor saying that there were two dogs basically on her property,
wouldn't let her out of the house," said Mike Rutzlaff, director of operations
for the SPCA of Cincinnati.

According to a police report,
SPCA officials responded to the scene with police after the dogs were on the
loose.

An SPCA officer says he tried to
collar one of the dogs, and the other two started attacking the control bar
being used.

At that time, the reports said an elderly man claimed he was the owner. He was then asked if he was the
property owner or the dog's owner.

The man allegedly told the
officer to leave and said several times he would "bust" the SPCA officer's
head. After trying twice to control the dogs with a stick, according to
paperwork, that man was then attacked by the dogs.

"At that point, the
gentleman picked up a stick and started hitting the dogs or threatening the
dogs, or whatever, and the dogs turned on him," Rutzlaff told FOX19.

SPCA officer John Sturgill said
in his statement that that man then started screaming "save me" and "help me."

After screaming at the dogs to move along, Sturgill says they charged himself
and a deputy, who opened fire.

"If another person is in
danger or our officer's in danger, that would require the deadly force,"
Rutzlaff told FOX19.